Grille core



June 17, 1941. Q BRAKE 2,245,908

GRILLE CORE Filed Oct. 25. 1937 INVENTOR George Forrest Dra/fe BY PW, WWQQMMIM ATTORNEYS Patented June 17, 1941 GRILLE CORE George Forrest Drake, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Barber-Colman Company, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 25, 1937, Serial No. 170,752

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the cores of grilles which are used for covering openings. in walls, doors, and the like, and has more particular reference to grille cores comprising a series of sheet metal fins joined by separate connecting bars extending through the fins.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel means for holding the fins in spaced relation along the connecting bars which means permits the fins to be disposed at an angle to the face of the grille, to be of' different crosssectional shapes, and avoids the necessity of soldering the fins and connecting bars together.

A more detailed object is to provide a grille core of the above character in which the ns are held in spaced parallel relation. byy tongues which are formed from the metal punched out in cutting the connecting Ibar apertures in the fins, said tongues bearing frictionally against one edge of the connecting bar and abutting against the adjacent 1in.

The invention also resides in the novel method of forming the grilley core.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevationalv view of a grille core embodying the novel features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the fins illustrating different steps in the method of assembly. v

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the grille fins before insertion of the connecting bars.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a modified form of the invention.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and may be practiced in various ways, ll have illustrated in the drawing and will describe here in detail the preferred embodiment and method. It is to be understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention by such specific disclosure but aim to cover all modifications and alternative constructions and methods falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the grille core comprises a plurality of thin fins '1 supported in spaced parallel relation .by a plurality of flat connecting bars 8 extending through rectangular alined apertures n 9 in the fins. In this instance, the fins are flat and are disposed generally edgewise but inclined at a small angle relative to the direction of air flow through the grille. Each fin is composed of a thin strip of sheet metal, preferably mild steel, which may, if desired, be deformed at spaced points along its edges to form deflecting and diffusing elements I0.

The apertures 9 are formed b-y punching out portions of the fins corresponding in width to the thickness of the connecting bars 8 and in length to the width of the bars and the angle at which the fins are to be disposed. Thus, the length of the Yaperture is such that the opposite defining edges thereof bear against the side edges of the connecting bar as shown in Fig. 4 when the n is disposed at the desired angle.

In accordance with the present invention, each punched out portion or tongue Il resulting from formation of a bar aperture 9 is left integral with the fin proper at one short end of the aperture. Each tongue is bent away from the lin and in the assembled core extends along one side edge of the connecting bar. At its free end, the tongue abuts against the adjacent fin thereby positively holding the adjacent fins in the desired spaced relation. Preferably, the free end of each tongue is bent slightly relative to the body portion as indicated at l2 so as to avoid any possibility' of the end-ofl one tongue slipping through the aperture of the adjacent iin between the 1in and the connecting bar.

The fins and connecting bars are assembled in a novel manner such 'that the tongues li in the final assembly are under stress and bear against the bar with sufficient force to hold the iin tightly at the desired angle. For this purpose, the tongues are bent only partially away from the fins in the initial punching operation as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The fins are first mounted in a suitable fixture and held in the positions (see Fig. 3) which they are to occupy in the final assembly with the apertures of the adjacent iins in alinement. Then, the connecting bars are forced endwise through the apertures, the leading end of the bars being tapered as indicated at I3 to facilitate entry. As the bar end passes through an aperture after engaging the associated tongue II, the latter is bent away from the 1in from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the final position shown in Fig. 4 thereby bringing the bent-up tongue end I2 into abutment with the adjacent fin, the remainder of the tongue lying alongside the edge of the bar. By bending up the end, any possibility of the tongue entering the aperture of one adjacent iin is eiectually avoided.

As an incident to such bending, the metal of the tongue is so stressed internally that, due to its resiliency, the tongue exerts a frictional pressure and tends to tilt the fin relative to the bar into the limit angular position in which the bar engages the fin at three points I4, I5, and I6. That is to say, the force exerted by each tongue tends to tilt the iin in a direction to reduce the magnitude of the acute angle which the plane of the n makes with the face of the grille or the axis of the bar. Spacing of the point IB away from the iin and near the free end of the tongue is effected by a slight bending oi the tongues intermediate their ends as shown so that the intermediate portions do not bear against the bar 8. Since each iin is frictionally held against sliding relative to the connecting bars and the adjacent ns are positively spaced by the tongues II, the nal assembly is a substantially rigid structure no parts of which are apt to be displaced or distorted in service use. Looseness is thus eectually eliminated so that there will be no objectionable vibration of the parts as an incident to the ow of air through the grille.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modied form of the present invention having fins II which are bent into substantially right angular cross-sectional shape but rounded intermediate their side edges. Rectangular slots I8 are punched in the iins to receive connecting bars I9. Instead of forming a single tongue as in the form rst described, the punched out metal is severed intermediate the ends of the slotand bent back in the initial operation to form two tongues integral with the ins at the opposite ends of the slot I8.

As illustrated, the grille is assembled in the manner previously described by forcing the bars I9 endwise through the fm slots while the ns are held with the corresponding slots in alinement. As the end of the bar passes through a slot, the tongues 20 are spread apart and bent outwardly so as to lie alongside the edges of the bar. A four point bearing engagement is thus provided between the ns and the bars so that the former are held effectively against tilting relative to the bars. In the nal assembly, the bent-up ends of the tongues on each fin abut against the adjacent fin, the two ns being thereby held positively in proper spaced relation.

I claim as my invention:

1. A grille core comprising a series of parallel sheet metal fins each having a narrow rectangular aperture punched therein with the longer dimension of the aperture extending transversely of the iin, a connecting bar of a thickness substantially equal to the Width of said apertures extending through the alined apertures of said iins, and tongues formed from metal punched out of said apertures and integral with the ins at the narrow ends of the apertures, each of said tongues being of a width equal to that of the associated aperture and extending along a narrow edge of said bar and abutting at its free end against the adjacent iin.

2. A grille core comprising a series of sheet metal ns disposed in spaced parallel planes extending at an acute angle to the face of the grille, each fin having a punched aperture alined with the apertures of adjacent ns, a bar extending through said apertures and having a width less than but correlated with the lengths of the apertures so that the opposite defining ends of the apertures bear against opposite edges of said bar, and tongues each integral with one iin at the end of the aperture therein and extending along one edge of the bar with its free end contacting the adjacent iin whereby to hold the iins in spaced relation.

3. A grille core comprising a series of spaced sheet metal fins each extending at an acute angle to the face of the grille, each fm having a punched aperture alined with the apertures of adjacent fins, a bar extending through said ns and having a width less than but correlated with the lengths of said apertures so that the opposite dening ends of said apertures bear against opposite edges of said bar, and tongues each integral with one iin at the end of the aperture therein and extending along one edge of the bar with its free end contacting the adjacent 1in, said tongues being internally stressed and exerting on the bar forces tending to swing said fins relative to the bar in a direction to reduce said acute angle.

4. A grille core comprising a series of spaced sheet metal ns, each 1in having a punched aperture alined with the apertures of adjacent fins, a bar extending through said fins with its opposite edges bearing against the dening ends of said apertures, and tongues each integral with one n at the end of the aperture therein and extending along the bar with its intermediate portion bent away from the bar and its free end contacting the adjacent iin and bearing laterally against the bar, each tongue being stressed to exert a force on said bar acting to swing the iin to and maintain the same in a limit position relative to the bar.

5. A grille core comprising a series of sheet metal ns of V-shaped cross section substantially throughout their lengths nested together in spaced parallel relation, each of said ns having a rectangular aperture formed therein across the tip of the V and alined with the apertures of adjacent ns, a connecting bar extending through the alined apertures of said ns, and tongues integral withea-ch iin at opposite narrow ends of the aperture therein and extending along opposite edges of said bar and abutting at their free ends with the adjacent 1in.

GEORGE FORREST DRAKE. 

